Wounds That Cannot Heal
by PimpMasta Popo
Summary: [Tears were gathering in her eyes once more. “You’re going to be all right.” she whispered to him, her hand cupping his cheek. But she didn’t believe that. I didn’t believe that.][RHr, deathfic]


Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: This is a Ginny POV story.

****

IMPORTANT NOTE : Anything in italics is one of Ginny's memories

Wounds That Cannot Heal

It was raining that day. It always rains on days like that. Those days that you just know _someone_ is going to die. It's so terribly cliché.

As we left the Burrow, I saw the lightening and was suddenly filled with a sense of doom. He stood behind me, eyes fixed on me. Sheepishly, I turned around. I was about to go face the biggest, baddest wizard in the entire world, and a storm was giving me the willies… he must have thought I was so pathetic.

But he just smiled. "Come on, Gin." he said, giving my shoulder a clap.

I knew he was scared. Harry and Hermione couldn't see it, I guess cause they didn't know him like I did. He just stood next to Hermione and held her hand tightly until Lupin and Moody came into the room and announced it was time. Then he just stood and took a deep breath.. Hermione wasn't faring so well, She gripped his hand much tighter and bit her lip, seeming to be on the verge of tears. Harry was staring at the ground, hand gripped tightly around his wand. Funny, this scared 17 year old boy would be the savoir of our world… I wanted to go to him, but I didn't know what to say. So I just stood there.

I don't remember how I get there, or even where there _was_. All I can remember about that place was it was desolate except for one house. And it was wet. The rain had soaked us within minutes. We all made our way to the house. The Order was to go in first, then we, being Harry, myself, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George, could go in second.

I stayed with Fred and George. We walked around the house. It seemed vacant. Every room - no one. Nothing. No possessions, no people, no furniture. I vaguely wondered if this was a hoax… maybe someone had gotten their information wrong.

But then I heard a scream, and a cry of "EXPELLIARMUS!" Later I would recognize the voice as Ron and the scream as Hermione… but at that moment, I couldn't register voices.

As if planned, hundreds of Death Eaters suddenly appeared in the house. Cries of "stupefy!" and "crucio!" filled the house. Fred, George and I managed to stun many of them, and bind them.

And then I saw him. Time stopped. I didn't hear anyone. I didn't see anyone except for him. He was lying on the ground, his body horribly twisted. I ran to him, knocking people over as I ran to him. "Ron… Ron… Ron… Ron!" I was saying his name like a prayer, hoping that he was still alive. He was bleeding from everywhere. I scooped him up and put his head in my lap. Only then had I noticed I was crying, when two small water droplets landed on his dirt-streaked face. "Please no…" I cried, shaking him. "Oh Merlin, please no…."

His eyelids began to flicker, and slowly he opened them. He looked as if I had woken him from his sleep. He smiled a bit, but then frowned as he tried in vain to move his arm. "Gin…" he murmured. He was panicking. He was afraid. It killed me. My brother was in pain and all I could do was watch. I couldn't help him. "It hurts…" he whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

"I can call for a Mediwitch. I'll call right now, Ron. Hold on. Please, just hold on."

His breathing became uneven. Only at that moment had I realized Hermione had joined me. She stood, looking down at us. She seemed unable to speak. Finally, she fell to her knees, hand clasped to her mouth, silent tears falling.

"It hurts so bad…" Ron choked out.

Hermione smoothed his hair then kissed him on the forehead. "I love you." she whispered, pulling back and biting her lip, trying not to cry.

"Don't go, Ron, please don't." I whispered, holding him to myself more tightly.

__

"You're gonna leave all this someday." he told me while laying by the pond. He was 16 at that time. I sat up and glared at him and the absurdity of his statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively. How dare he… planning my future, is he?

"You're going to live better than this."

"I like it here." I replied indignantly.

"You deserve better than this." It was like he didn't even hear me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, annoyed. Great prat, not even listening.

"Promise me something, will you, Gin?" Taken aback, I nodded.

"Yeah, all right."

"When you get the chance for a better life… take it."

"Ron?" he had gone still, his eyelids were drooping. I wasn't going to loose him.

__

He was pacing. I was sitting on his bed reading Quidditch Through the Ages for the millionth time. Annoyed I looked up. "Will you stop it?"

"I can't."

Sigh. "Ron… stop acting like the stupid git you are and just ask her out."

Pace pace pace. "And if she says no?"

"Well, then we kill her." my failed attempt at humor… he didn't laugh.

"I love her, Gin…" he said this as a whisper. I smiled. "I know. She feels the same way."

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Positive."

Hermione was biting her lip. What was she doing? She wasn't giving up on him…surely she wasn't giving up. Why wasn't anyone getting him help? He fought to keep his eyes open. He looked at me and gave me a small smile. He looked tired. Hermione once more sunk to her knees. He looked at her. "I'm so afraid." he whispered.

Tears were gathering in her eyes once more. "You're going to be all right." she whispered to him, her hand cupping his cheek.

But she didn't believe that. I didn't believe that.

__

"I want to go school too."

"You can go next year, Gin."

I was laying on his bed, watching him pack for his first day of school at Hogwarts.

"You're going to go and make all kinds of new friends and have lots of fun." I said, pouting.

He smiled. "Well I hope so." he said taking a Oxford shirt and shoving it into his trunk.

"I didn't mean that as a good thing. You're going to forget all about me."

"I am not. You're my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister."

"And therefore my favorite."

I rolled onto my back. "What am I going to do without you here?"

"Hang out with mom."

"Not funny."

"Learn to become a lady."

"Not EVEN funny."

He sat down next to me. "You know, I'll miss you, Ginny."

I smiled. "Yeah I know."

Fred and George walked in. "Aw, is ickle ronniekins ready for his first day at school?"

"Shut up." he retorted, ears turning red. He turned to me. "You're going to come with me to King's Cross… right?"

I nodded. Fred and George picked up Ron's case. "Don't forget Scabbers."

"Right. Loosing him would be a shame."

"A real shame."

Ron glared at his brothers. "C'mon Ginny. Let's go."

Hermione looked at Ron. I had never seen her look that way… so unsure of herself. Like she didn't know where she belonged anymore. She would tell me later that she didn't know what to do without him. She just sat there, eyes glazed over.

__

"I did it."

Harry and I looked up from our chess game. Ron stood proudly in the middle of the living room, smiling like an idiot. "Did what?" I asked.

"What you told me to."

"Bugger off?" Harry asked, giving Ron an amused look. I laughed. Ron rolled his eyes.

"No."

"What then?" I asked, my attention turning to the chess game.

"I asked her to marry me."

Harry made an odd coughing noise, and I looked at my brother incuriously. "You're - You're - not even out of school yet!"

Ron frowned. "I know. You know, Gin, I thought you would be the happiest about this."

Harry spoke up. "Hermione?"

Ron nodded, and Harry beamed. "Right on, mate!"

Ron glowed with happiness. He looked at me. I knew it was my blessing he wanted the most.

"You know, when I said, 'propose to her', I really wasn't being serious." I said. He came and sat next to me.

"Yeah I know. It's just, you got my mind working. And I thought… why not? I love her. She loves me. I want to be with her forever. So … I asked."

"And she said yes?"

"Yes."

I smiled. "Congratulations."

He was cold now. Hermione was clutching to his hand, as if that would bring him back. He was gone now. I knew it. She knew it too. She finally let go of his hand and looked at me. She didn't say anything. She was scared. I don't remember how I got out of that house. I don't remember Harry walking up to us and collapsing. I don't remember the house shaking violently as Voldemort was finally defeated. I don't remember any of that. All I remember is holding my brother as he took his last breath.

I woke up in St. Mungo's. Hermione was sitting next to me, staring off into space.

"Hey."

She looked at me. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "As well as can be expected." I looked around. "St. Mungo's?"

She nodded. "You've been out for three days." She was toying with the loose threads on my blanket. "After… " she was struggling to say it. "After he… well. After, you were hit with a stunning spell, and you passed out."

I nodded. "And the final outcome?"

"We won." She said it with such lackluster and sadness, I was compelled to look at her. She was past crying. I knew how she felt.

"And Harry?"

"He's here too. He's fine." She looked at me. "He can have visitors today. No one's been allowed to see him for three days. Do you want to go see him?"

"Does he know?" I asked quietly.

Hermione shook her head. "No."

"I don't want to tell him."

"You won't have to."

I looked at her, she was looking at the floor. "All right." I said. "I'll go."

She put me in a wheelchair, and wheeled me to Harry's room. We didn't talk the whole way there. We were content in silence. Neither of us were ready to talk about it yet.

Hermione opened the door to Harry's room and wheeled me in. When I saw him, it almost broek my heart. He had a few bandages around his head, and his arm was in a sling, but he was truly genuinely happy to see us. His eyes lit up and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Ginny! Hermione!" He cried. Hermione gave him a small smile. It looked like it pained her to do so.

Harry looked from me to Hermione several times. His smiled slowly faded. "Where's --" The smile vanished. Hermione wouldn't look at him. She just bit her lip and looked at the floor. Harry's brilliant green stare pierced me. He looked at me, begging me to tell him that this was a joke. Finally, he looked at the door, hoping that his best friend would walk through it and yell "gotcha!". When no one came, and neither of us said anything, he understood.  
A look of bitter disappointment replaced his jubilant smile. "No." he whispered. He didn't want to believe it. He shook his head violently. "No. It's not true." He put his head in his hands. "It can't be." he whispered. He looked up at me, tears brimming in his eyes. "Please tell me it's not true."

I felt sorry for him. I didn't have time to say anything to him. Moody, and Lupin walked in, all looking somewhat somber.

"Congratulations, Harry." Moody growled. "You saved our world. You achieved quite the victory."

Harry didn't say anything for a moment. Lupin watched him, sympathy shining in his eyes. Harry looked up, his expression stony. "There were too many losses for it be called a victory." Harry looked to Hermione, then to me.

"Dumbledore, Neville, Tonks…" he swallowed hard. "And Ron." He looked up at Lupin and Moody. "We lost mentors, lovers, siblings, and friends." He shook his head. "No. There were too many losses for it to be a victory."

I had to agree.

That's it folks. My little small piece of angst. Hope you enjoyed it.


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